Fitted garments are garments of the type that closely conforms to the shape of the wearer's body. A wetsuit is one example of such a garment wherein a snug fit of the garment assists in creating a thin layer of water between the fabric of the garment and the skin of the body. This thin layer of water forms a major part of the insulation provided by the wetsuit. It is therefore advantageous that no additional water enters the wetsuit once the initial layer has been established and has been warmed by the body.
Fitted garments such as wetsuits are fabricated from a plurality of panels that are joined together at seams that are sewn and, optionally, glued. A pattern incorporating a plurality of panels of varying shapes and sizes is used to produce a wetsuit or other garment that is “sculptured” to closely conform to the shape of a wearer's body. As a result of the garment conforming to the shape of a wearer's body, the different parts of a garment will often be referred to as if they were filled by and/or were part of a wearer's body. Thus, the “elbow” or “elbow section” of a garment will be the portion of the garment that would be adjacent to the elbow of a wearer if the garment was being worn. This nomenclature is often applied to panels as well, even if the panels are not yet actually part of a garment, and even if the panels are laid out flat on a supporting surface such as a table.
Panels, as the term is used herein, typically comprise a single piece of material cut to a desired pattern that can be made to lay flat on a flat surface such that no portion of the panel overlaps any other portion of the panel. Panel materials may include fabric, but are not necessarily limited to a woven material. When stretched against a planar surface, panels will generally have significantly more surface area than thickness (thickness being measured in a direction normal to the planar surface, and surface area being measured on a surface of the panel that is closest to being parallel to the planar surface). Panels are generally cut from piece goods or yard goods that are sometimes provided as rectangular pieces of material, with multiple, often differently shaped, panels, being cut from a single piece in order to minimize wastage of material.
Panels are joined together at seams, where a seam is a portion of the garment where two or more panels are coupled together. Various methods of fastening together panels to form a garment are well known and need not therefore be described herein. However, it is probably worth noting that, particularly in regard to wetsuits, seams typically incorporate “flat locking”, “overlocking”, “glued and blind stitching” and/or “heat tape sealing” techniques. These techniques are commonly used in the trade and need not therefore be explained herein in further detail. Whilst the seams are in general strong and reliable, they are susceptible to wear and damage with extended use of the wetsuit. The seams are also a source of water entry into the wetsuit and this factor can significantly reduce the effectiveness of the wetsuit in keeping the wearer warm.
Garments generally comprise multiple types of panels. Of particular interest herein are exterior covering panels. These panels are the panels of a garment that typically are (a) used to cover undergarments, interior panels, or portions of a wearer's body, and (b) to form an exterior surface of the garment. In garments having simpler exteriors, such as wetsuits, the exterior covering panels form a majority if not all of the exterior surface of the garment Other garment panels may include those used to form pockets, flaps, and liners, or those used to form exterior frills or decorations. Athough the term “panels” generally covers all types of panels, it is used herein below to describe only exterior covering panels. Similarly, although seams are used to join all types of panels, the term “seams” is used herein below to describe exterior covering seams, i.e. seams joining exterior covering panels to each other.
Some garments utilize “darts” (generally tapered folds) to adjust the fit of a garment. Such a dart typically comprises joining two or more points of a single panel together if they were part of edges of separate panels being seamed together. Unfortunately, traditional darts tend to become problematic as the thickness of the material of a panel increases as the folded portions of the panel tend to interfere with proper fitting of the garment.
Many fabrics used in garment production are well know and need not therefore be described in detail herein. However, it is worth noting that typical fabrics used in the fabrication of wetsuits include nylon, spandex, polyolefin, or combinations of these materials, which have been bonded to a neoprene (non-fibrous rubber) insulative layer. Various thicknesses of fabric are employed depending on the temperature rating of the wetsuit. These materials are in general flexible and stretchable so as to allow free movement of the wearer. This is important in a wetsuit intended for vigorous activity such as surfing. Whilst the techniques employed to create the seams of a wetsuit also provide flexibility and stretchability, the seams are often not as flexible as the fabric being joined.
Modern wetsuits primarily intended for surfing are sometimes provided with bends at the elbows and knees so as to more accurately correspond to a normal position of the arms and legs of the wearer when lying upon or standing on a surfboard. Whilst this is an advantage to the wearer it does mean that the wetsuit must include additional panels of appropriate shape and size such that, when joined together, they form the desired three dimensional body shape and the desired angle at the elbows and knees.